Things to Do in Mainz

Mainz is the birthplace of Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the movable-type printing press around 1440, which revolutionized written communication across Europe.

The city sits at the confluence of the Rhine and Main rivers, making it a strategic location that has been fought over by various powers throughout its 2,000-year history.

Mainz's famous Carnival (Fastnacht) in February/March is one of Germany's largest and most exuberant, with satirical parades that have been a tradition since medieval times.

The Mainz Cathedral (Dom St. Martin) has been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times—most recently after World War II—and remains one of Germany's most significant Romanesque churches.

Mainz was the capital of an independent ecclesiastical state (the Electorate of Mainz) for over 1,000 years until the Napoleonic Wars in 1803.

The city's wine region, Rheinhessen, produces more wine than any other German wine region, with over 26,000 hectares of vineyards in the surrounding countryside.